Gallery: Knaresborough’s midsummer party in the castle

Hundreds of people watched a free live screening of the Glastonbury festival in the grounds of Knaresborough Castle on Saturday.

The Party in the Castle saw friends and families turn up with their own food and drink and soak up the atmosphere in glorious weather.

Organised by volunteers from Knaresborough & District Chamber, the event proved hugely popular.

The chamber hopes it will be the first of annual community events in the castle, providing North Yorkshire Council grants permission to use the site.

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Lead organiser and chamber member Kelly Young said:

“We were bowled over with the level of support both before and during the event and the feedback from the Knaresborough community has been fantastic. There was an amazing atmosphere and the whole place was like a big family party. 

“We feel so privileged to have been given the chance to bring the town together through music, against such a stunning backdrop as Knaresborough Castle. We also hope that the central location of the event, close to many local businesses, will have bought increased consumer spend to our community, as well as making it affordable for everyone to attend on any budget.”

Cllr Hannah Gostlow, who represents Knaresborough West on North Yorkshire Council, helped to fund the TV through her councillor’s Locality budget. A crowdfunding campaign also contributed to funds for the not-for-profit event.

Here are some images from the night by photographer Mike Whorley.

 

Knaresborough Party in the Castle 2023

Shadow chancellor joins local by-election campaign trail

Shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves joined Labour candidate Keir Mather on the by-election campaign trail in Selby on Saturday.

Selby and Ainsty will go to the polls on July 20 following the resignation of Conservative MP Nigel Adams.

The constituency includes villages close to Harrogate, Knaresborough and Boroughbridge, including Spofforth, Follifoot, Ouseburn and Little Ribston.

The Conservatives hold a 20,137 majority but Ms Reeves’ visit indicates that Labour, which finished second last time with 25% of the vote, regards it as a winnable seat.

Ms Reeves joined Mr Mather to launch his five-point plan, which he said would deliver ‘a fresh start’ for the constituency.

Ms Reeves said:

“Across Britain, people are being hit hard by a Tory mortgage penalty, and here in Selby and Ainsty over 12,300 households will see their repayments go up by an average £2,700.

“Meanwhile, the Conservative MP abandoned his constituents in a cost of living crisis, leaving them without a voice and a Conservative government too distracted to deliver.”

Mr Mather’s five-point plan is to support residents through the cost of living crisis; tackle antisocial behaviour and rural crime; make the local NHS fit for the future; protect communities from flooding and sewage and restore frequent, reliable public transport.

He said:

“This brilliant constituency deserves a fresh start and a dedicated MP who will deliver on their promises to local people.”

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Knaresborough banking hub location revealed

The new banking hub in Knaresborough will be located at 15 Kirkgate, Bowling Green Yard, it was announced today.

The hub will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks and building societies can carry out regular cash transactions.

However, an opening date is still yet to be revealed.

It will also provide a community banker service where customers can talk to their own banking provider about more complicated issues, from Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Community bankers will work on rotation, with a different bank or building society available on each day of the week. They are usually provided by the banking providers with the most customers in the local area.

Cash Access UK, the organisation set up to protect nationwide access to cash, revealed details of the hub today following longstanding concerns about bank closures in Knaresborough.

The process of finding a banking hub in Knaresborough has taken a while to come to fruition. There were hopes it would happen last year.

Gareth Oakley, chief at Cash Access UK:

“We know the new banking hub has been eagerly anticipated by the local community and so we’re delighted we’ve now been able to secure a fantastic location for you in the heart of the community.

“This brings us a significant step closer in being able to deliver improved access to cash services to individuals and businesses in Knaresborough”.

Nick Garrett, of the community benefit society Knaresborough Connectors: said the hub would reduce financial exclusion, adding:

“Many of Knaresborough’s frail residents tell us they prefer services, especially financial ones, to be face to face as online services aren’t accessible.”

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Andrew Jones, MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough said:

“When the hub opens it will be invaluable to residents of Knaresborough, especially to those who rely on cash and face-to-face banking.”

Charlotte Gale, of Knaresborough and District Chamber said:

“Better banking and cash access within the town is something chamber are very passionate about. This is something we’ve long campaigned for and we’re thrilled that a site has now been secured.”

Cash Access UK is owned and funded by 10 of the UK’s biggest banking providers: Bank of Ireland, Barclays, Danske Bank, HSBC UK, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group, Santander, TSB and Virgin Money.

These firms have come together to provide shared services available to all their customers.

 

Man with ‘flagrant disregard for people’ jailed for crimes in Harrogate

A man has been jailed for a year for a string of offences in Harrogate, including threatening to kill a policeman.

Christopher Layton, 36, admitted carrying out the threat at Harrogate police station on June 7 this year.

He was sentenced to 26 weeks in prison for that offence when he appeared in front of magistrates in York on Tuesday.

Layton, of no fixed abode, received other consecutive custodial sentences for further crimes.

They included assaulting the same police officer and assaulting a man on Parliament Street in Harrogate on June 18. He also threatened police and paramedics.

Layton, who was subject to supervision requirements imposed after a previous jail sentence, also pleaded guilty to threatening a man on Queens Road in Harrogate on June 7, which court documents said “was motivated by hostility towards persons who are of a particular sexual orientation”.

The documents also said the offences were so serious because “the defendant has a flagrant disregard for people and their property” and involved attacks on emergency workers.

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Harrogate Ladies’ College opens new theatre

Harrogate Ladies’ College has officially opened a new performing arts centre after a major refurbishment project.

The work included the installation of new sound and lighting technology and extensive redecoration of the venue.

The centre has been named the Swinton Theatre.

Parents and alumni who donated to the project, chose the name to recognise how the Swintons helped the school during World War Two.

With just 10 days notice, the school was relocated to what was then Swinton Castle for more than 6 years between 1939-1946.  The schools premises in Harrogate was requisitioned by the Ministry of Air Production for the war effort. The castle has since become a hotel and spa.

The Countess and Earl of Swinton attended the theatre’s official opening.

Principal of the college, Sylvia Brett said:

“The generosity of the Swinton Estate in providing a home for the school during the war, is echoed in the generosity of our alumni and current parents in funding the refurbishment of this beautiful space.

“It’s been wonderful over recent weeks to see pupils of all ages enjoying using the space to express themselves through performance. I never underestimate how brave pupils are when they step out onto a stage and I know that the confidence this gives them is something they will take with them beyond school and throughout life.”

The school has also recently formed the Harrogate Ladies’ College Dance Company.  Its aim is to provide additional opportunities for pupils in the performing arts.

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Business Breakfast: Harrogate’s Ashville College appoints head of prep school

Staff well-being and culture have rapidly risen up the priority list for many employers.  At the next Stray Ferret Business Club  we’ll hear from award winning employer, LCF Law, on how organisations can ensure their teams are productive and happy. 

The lunch event is lunch at Manahatta, on June 29th at 12.30pm. Get your tickets by clicking or tapping here.

Harrogate’s Ashville College has appointed Philip Soutar as head of prep school.

Mr Soutar will take up the role in September, having previously been head at Rosemead Prep School and Nursery in Dulwich, South London, for the past six years.

He is currently national chair of the Independent Schools Association. In this role, he serves on the Independent Schools Council, the overarching body of the seven associations representing over 1,400 independent schools nationwide.

Rhiannon Wilkinson, head of Ashville College, said:

“Philip’s passion for preparatory education, and inspiring and nurturing young people, shines through.

“He has dedicated the whole of his successful career to preparatory education and this unrivalled experience, coupled with his national high-level insight, makes him ideally-placed to lead Ashville through the challenges and opportunities in our sector.

Mr Soutar added:

“This is a return to the north of England for my family and I and we cannot wait to become part of the Ashville community.

“My philosophy is based around high academic expectations whilst achieving the balance of opportunity through art, sport, music and drama.

Founded in 1877, Ashville is an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls aged 2-18 years.

Johnsons of Whixley supplies £130,000 worth of plants for holiday parks

Plant nursery Johnsons of Whixley has supplied £130,000 worth of plants for two luxury holiday park developments

The local horticultural business has been chosen as the primary supplier of plants for the project by Darwin Escapes, which will see one, two and three-bedroom lodges constructed in the grounds of the Blenheim Palace estate.

Johnsons has also received an order to supply the grounds of Plas Isaf Lodge Retreat in North Wales, another project by Darwin Escapes.

Eleanor Richardson, marketing manager at Johnsons of Whixley, said:

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Darwin Escapes.”

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Town centre living trend gathers pace in Harrogate

New plans have been submitted to change the use of a former Harrogate shop into flats as the trend towards town centre living gathers pace.

York-based Andrew Farr has applied to create six flats on West Park above the former Orvis store, which closed in April 2022 after 25 years of trading in the town.

It follows similar recent planning applications to change the use of town centre retail units into flats.

The former River Island shop on Cambridge Street is in the process of being converted to 15 flats and similar residential schemes have been proposed for the former main post office on Cambridge Road and the ex-King’s Club strip club on Oxford Street.

Work has begun on converting the former River Island shop into flats.

This is the second time Mr Farr has brought forward the scheme.

He withdrew plans in March to convert the upper floors of the former Orvis to six flats and create bin and bike storage. Planning documents say that application was halted “following the receipt of the comments from the council’s private section housing officer”.

They add the “revised proposal is largely identical” except for amendments to the internal layout.

It would see the upper floors of numbers 21a, 21 and 22 West Park converted.

Since Orvis closed, a bridal shop has opened on the ground floor of the premises.

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A planning and heritage statement sent to the council in support of Mr Farr’s application says future residents of the flats would be able to apply for monthly or annual parking pass for West Park multi-storey car parking.

It adds the scheme would “enhance the vitality of the Harrogate town centre” and bring vacant floors back into use “without any identified harm to the character of the host building and the neighbouring Harrogate Conservation Area”. It concludes:

“It is considered that the proposed scheme responds to the constraints of the site, planning policy constraints and its heritage context and should fall within the parameters of acceptable development.”

 

13 candidates to contest local parliamentary by-election

Thirteen candidates will contest the Selby and Ainsty parliamentary by-election next month.

Nominations for candidates closed on Friday and voters will go to the polls on Thursday, July 20.

All 13, except the Conservative candidate Claire Holmes, are male.

This will be the first local election to require photo ID following recent changes introduced to prevent fraud.

The candidates are:

Although Selby and Ainsty is centred on Selby and reaches almost as far south as Pontefract, its northern portion includes Spofforth and many of the villages in the Vale of York, such as Great Ouseburn, Green Hammerton and Tockwith.

Voting will take place from 7am to 10pm with the election count taking place in the evening after the close of polling.

The by-election has been called following the resignation of Conservative MP Nigel Adams, who had held the seat since 2010. The Tories will be defending a 20,137 majority.

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The electorate in the Selby and Ainsty constituency have until midnight on Tuesday, July 4, to register to vote and until 5pm on Wednesday, July 5, to apply for a postal vote.

If someone is unable to vote in person or by post, they have until 5pm on Wednesday, July 12, to apply for a proxy vote.

Voters will need to bring photographic identification to be able to vote.

Accepted forms of ID include a UK or Northern Ireland photocard driving licence, full or provisional, a UK passport or a passport issued by the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, the Isle of Man, or any of the Channel Islands, and some concessionary travel passes, such as an older person’s bus pass or blue badge.

Voters will be able to use expired ID if they are still recognisable from the photo.

Anyone without an accepted form of ID can apply for a free voter authority certificate by 5pm on Wednesday, July 12.  You can do so here.

You can register to vote here.

More information on the by-election is available here.

After 18 months, still no progress on Ripon Lidl

Eighteen months on since planning permission was ratified for a Ripon Lidl, there is still no sign of work starting.

Lidl submitted a planning application in May 2021 and it was approved on Christmas Eve of the same year.

The company ran a public consultation on the scheme, which involves opening a 1,250 square metre store at St Michael’s Park, Rotary Way.

It would be located near the existing M&S Foodhall and create up to 40 jobs

In its planning application, Lidl said the site was ideal:

“Lidl has a commitment to secure representation in Ripon and has been searching for suitable premises for a number of years. The nearest Lidl food stores are located some distance away in Knaresborough, Thirsk and Northallerton.”

However, there is no sign of the store opening. This is despite the planning documents saying Lidl hoped that 2022 would be the “first full and settled trading year for the new store”.

The Stray Ferret is regularly asked by readers for an update on what would be the town’s first Lidl.

As today marks 18 months since the plans were signed off, we contacted the company to find out more about its plans.

But as with our previous request for an update in April, did not receive a response.

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Ripon car rally set for 9am start from Market Place

Ripon Motorsport Club is inviting the public to join them on a drive, with the chance to view some classic cars.

The club is best known for the Riponian Stages Rally and the St Wilfrid’s Road Rally.

The stages has been running since 1986 on February 12 and consist of several timed stages. St Wilfrid’s is held on August 6 and runs for almost 150 miles stretching across the Vale of York and the Yorkshire Moors.

The historic cars will start in Ripon Market Place tomorrow at 9am. Among the cars expected to attend are classic Ford Escorts, Minis and Mercedes.

Club members plan to drive through the Vale of York before reaching the NY500 motoring cafe near Pickering around 11:30am.

The club has encouraged the public to join them either on the drive or at the start and end destinations. There will be opportunities for members of the public to be shown round the cars.

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